2017 NBA free agency grades: Washington Wizards to sign Jodie Meeks

The Washington Wizards have agreed to a deal with Jodie Meeks, adding some much-needed depth to the bench.

The Washington Wizards’ bench was a clear weakness during the 2016-17 season, and it affected the team’s playoff performance. While the starters consistently performed at a high caliber, the players coming off the bench were unable to keep up. The signing of Jodie Meeks is an effort to resolve this weakness.

Going into the 2017 offseason, the Wizards’ front office was determined to improve the bench. However, with the contracts of John Wall, Bradley Beal and Ian Mahinmi occupying a majority of the team’s available cap space, their options were limited.

With these factors in mind, the signing of Jodie Meeks for $7 million over two years — as first reported by The Vertical‘s Shams Charania — appears to be a solid deal. The contract doesn’t break the bank, and Meeks is able to bring some desperately needed scoring potential off of the bench.

The 29-year-old shot 40.9 percent from three last year en route to averaging 9.1 points per game. Those nine points per game are a higher scoring output than all but one member of the Wizards 2016-17 bench unit (Bojan Bogdanovic).

Bogdanovic is currently a restricted free agent, so Jodie Meeks is the premier scoring threat off the bench at the moment.

Clearly, Jodie Meeks is able to score. However, there is reason for Wizards fans to be concerned about other areas of his game. Meeks had a career high turnover rate last season. He turned the ball over 11.1 percent of the time.

He’s also never averaged more than two assists per game in his career. His inability to share the ball is a slight concern. Fortunately, Meeks’ defense is solid, as he averaged more than two steals per one hundred possessions.

The main source of concern surrounding Jodie Meeks is his inability to stay healthy.

Meeks has only played more than 70 games in three different seasons over his eight-year career. He’s been plagued by a number of thumb and foot injuries that have slowed his production.

If Meeks is able to stay healthy, he will be a valued addition to the Wizards’ bench. If his injuries continue to persist, the Wizards will at least be able to take solace in the fact that they only paid seven million for him.

All in all, this was a solid signing for the Wizards, as it gives them the depth that they desperately needed and a very low price.

Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far

Grade: B+